Workpiece puller adapted for attachment to the needle bar of a sewing machine

ABSTRACT

Roller means adapted to pull a length of goods in a stepwise manner is mounted on the presser bar of a sewing machine and is angularly displaced in response to the movement of the sewing machine needle bar in both directions of the movement thereof. Clutch means control the movement of the roller means.

United States Patent Louis Palazzo 124 Meridian Road, Levittown, N.Y. 11756 [21] Appl. No. 880,539

[22] Filed Nov. 28, 1969 [45] Patented Dec. 7, 1 971 [72] Inventor [54] WORKPIECE FULLER ADAPTED FOR ATTACHMENT TO THE NEEDLE BAR OF A Y SEWING MACHINE 10 Claims, 8 Drawing Figs.

U.S.Cl 112/211 Field ofSearch 112/211,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,141,428 7/1964 Reeber et al 112/211 Primary Examiner-Richard J Scanlan, Jr Attorney- Leonard H. King ABSTRACT: Roller means adapted to pull a length of goods in a stepwise manner is mounted on the presser bar of a sewing machine and is angularly displaced in response to the movement of the sewing machine needle bar in both directions of the movement thereof. Clutch means control the movement of the roller means.

PATENTEU DEC new 3525158 sum 1 OF 2 INVENTOR. 1.00/5 8444220 Y imam/45 A 7' TORA/E Y PATENTEUIJEII Hm 3.625168 SHEET 2 OF 2 INVENTOR. 100/5 PAL 4 Z20 wwij WORKPIECE PULLER ADAP'IED FOR ATTACHMENT TO THE NEEDLE BAR OF A SEWING MACHINE The aforementioned abstract is neither intended to define the invention of the application which, of course, is measured by the claims, not is it intended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way.

This invention relates generally to sewing machines and more particularly to means readily attachable to the sewing .machine needle bar for pulling a length of material.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION There have been many attempts in the past to provide auxiliary means for advancing material past the needle bar of a sewing machine. However, the art directed to the above-thetable auxiliary advancing means is generally characterized by bulk and complexity. As a result, the prior art is not as acceptable as it might be since in many cases the mechanism that is attached to the machine interferes with and reduces the efficiency of the operator. In addition, many examples of the prior art, because of their complexity are difficult to attach and remove from the sewing machine. It also should be particularly noted that the feed devices of the prior art function primarily during movement of the needle bar in only one direction but not during movement of the needle bar in both the up and down direction of each cycle.

Perhaps the closest prior art to the present invention is disclosed in US. Pat. No. 2,687,704 granted on Aug. 31, 1954 to Joseph Galkin. Therein is disclosed a drive puller feed roller for sewing machines in which the heavy fabric is pulled by an auxiliary assembly comprising two confronting rollers, the lower one of which is embedded at least partially in the table of the machine. The upper roller which does the auxiliary 'driving of the fabric is mounted, by means of a complex linkage system, on the casing of the sewing machine and is actuated, through the linkages, by means of the drive shaft of the machine. Dual clutch meansare contained within the upper roller. However, one of the clutch means is a drive clutch that permits rotation of the roller in one direction while the other clutch is a brake clutch that operates in the opposite angular direction to that of the drive clutch. As will be made more apparent hereinafter, the Galkin structure is distinguished from the present invention by the provision of the braking clutch and by the absence of any coupling between the drive roller and the needle bar.

By way of contrast, the structure comprising the present invention is very easily and removably mounted on existing sewing machines without the need for reworking. Only a very simple tool, such as a screwdriver or a wrench, is required. When in place the device of this invention is out of the way, does not interfere with the movements of the operator, and is responsive to the movement of the needle bar in two opposite directions. The present invention is efficiently used when two piece'sare to be sewn together. The bottom piece of material is fed by the machine in a conventional manner while the top piece of material, such as a binding or a heavy piece of canvas, is fed by the present invention in synchronism with the bottom feeder as well as the'needle bar. As a result, both pieces of material are fed uniformly and an objectionable shirring action is eliminated. The present invention is particularly useful in attaching dissimilar binding material such as in plastic goods and in wigs.

In its broadest aspect, the present invention provides a main bracket that is removably clamped to a portion of the sewing machine that does not move during the sewing operation, for example, the presser bar. A pivotal, articulated driving bar is removably secured to the needle bar and is also pivotally mounted at the rearward end thereof, on the main bracket. A serrated roller is resiliently mounted below the main bracket on a yoke and includes double-acting clutch means. A pair of cam tracks integral with the driving bar displaces a pair of cam followers carried on the outer ends of each of two oppositely pivoting clutch-actuating arms. Thus, when one of the two cam tracks operates the roller associated therewith, for example on the downward stroke of the needle bar, only one of the two clutches couples the roller to one of the arms and provides for movement of the roller in one angular, material-feeding direction. Conversely, during the upward stroke of the needle bar, only the second clutch couples the second arm to the roller and provides for rotation of the roller means in the same angular direction as originally described. The foregoing is possible because the driving bar, the clutch-actuating arms, as well as the roller, are all coupled and responsive to the movement of the needle bar in both of its directions of movements. That is, the clutch actuating arms are alternately coupled to the roller by their respective clutch means so that one arm drives the roller on the downward stroke of the needle bar and the other arm drives the roller on the upward stroke of the needle bar.

Accordingly, it is an important object of this invention to provide an improved puller for a piece of goods, the puller operating in conjunction with the feeder of a sewing machine.

Another object of this invention is to provide a puller, as described above, that is coupled and responsive to the movement of the needle bar.

An additional object of this invention is to provide a puller as described above that may be simply secured to and removed from the needle bar of a sewing machine.

Several features of this invention are that the structure is compact, does not require alteration of the sewing machine for purposes of installation and need not be permanently secured thereto.

An important advantage of this invention is that both the upward and the downward strokes of the needle bar are utilized for angularly displacing an auxiliary fabric feeding roller.

These and other features, advantages and objects of the invention will, in part, be pointed out with particularity and will, in part, become obvious from the following more detailed description of the invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, which forms an integral part thereof.

In the various views, like reference characters designate like parts.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating the physical relationship between the structure comprising the present invention and a sewing machine;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view similar to FIG. 2 but illustrating an alternate position of certain components of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a sectional side elevational view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view taken from a position opposite to that of FIG. 2 and illustrating two different positions of certain components of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is an exploded, perspective view of the dual clutch and roller assembly comprising this invention;

FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of the dual clutch and roller assembly of the present invention with portions removed for clarity; and

FIG. 8 is a side elevational view similar to FIG. 7 but on an enlarged scale and showing certain components in a second position.

Referring now to FIG. 1 of the drawing, there is shown in phantom outline the head portion H of a sewing machine that includes a needle bar NB, a needle N, a presser bar PB and a presser foot PF. The cloth plate CP is positioned below the needle N and the presser foot PF. A main bracket 10 is secured to the presser bar bushing PB by means of a'first clamp arrangement that includes a screw 12. A drive bar 14 is pivotally mounted on the free end of the main bracket 10 by means of a shouldered screw 16 and pivotally supports a link 18 by means of a ball-type shouldered screw 20. A second clamping member 22, pivotally mounted on the link 18 by means of a shoulder screw 24, provides means for removably securing the device to the needle bar NB. The drive bar 14 also includes an integral cam plate 26 in which is formed two cam tracks 28a and 28b. The ball-type shoulder screw facilitates the alignment of the device.

As shown in FIG. 4, a friction roller 30, which may be serrated, is resiliently mounted on the main bracket by means of a yoke arrangement 32. The roller 30 is joumaled on an axle 34, the ends of which are secured in opposite faces of the yoke 32. A stud 36 extends upwardly from the top, transverse face of the yoke 32 and is secured internally of a hollow threaded shaft 38 that is mounted on an upwardly extending housing portion 40 of the main bracket 10. A sleeve 42 and spring 44 are disposed about the stud 36 in order to provide resilient mounting means for the roller 30. The adjustment of the threaded screw 38 determines the spring tension on the roller 30.

Turning now to FIGS. 6, 7 and 8 in particular, there is shown a clutch arrangement that permits the present device to utilize both the upward and downward strokes of the needle bar NB. The roller 30 has an internal bore 50 in which are mounted first and second clutch plates 52 and 54, respectively. Each of the clutch plates 52 and 54 is provided with a plurality of flatted portions 56 and 58, respectively, a plurality of springs 60 and 62, respectively, and balls 64 and 66, respectively. The clutch plates 52 and 54 are disposed about the axle 34 and act in a conventional manner in that they will permit rotation in one angular direction but will act as a brake in the opposite angular direction.

Clutch drive arms 70 and 72 are secured to clutch plates 52 and 54, respectively, by means of screws 74 and 76, respectively. In the case of the clutch drive arm 72 and the clutch plate 54, it will be seen that screws 76 are threaded directly into tapped holes 78 whereas in the case of the clutch drive arm 70 and the clutch plate 52, the screw 74 must first pass through elongated arcuate slots 80 formed in the clutch plate 54 and then be threaded into tapped holes 82 provided in the transverse face of the clutch plate 52. It should be noted that the slots 80 are sized sufficiently large to accommodate spacer sleeves 84 through which are passed the screws 74. Finally, as shown particularly in FIG. 6, the upper ends of the arms 70 and 72 are each provided with cam follower means 86 and 88, respectively. Shim plate 71 covers the springs 60 to retain them in place as drive arms 70 and 72 move to and fro.

A lifter mechanism for raising the roller to an inoperative position is shown in FIG. 5. The lifter mechanism comprises a link 90 secured by means of a screw 92 to the housing portion 40. A lever 94 is also pivotally mounted on the housing portion 40. A lever 94 is also pivotally mounted on the housing portion 40 by means of a screw 96 and is also pivotally secured to the link 90 by means of a screw 98. The link 90 is provided with a notched portion 100 that cooperates with the shank of the screw 96 in an overcentering relationship whereby when the lever 94 is depressed to the lower portion shown in phantom outline in FIG. 5, the roller 30 is latched in the upper position and is out of the way of the operator so that material can be fed thereunder.

Turning once again to FIG. 1, there is shown a right-angle plate member 102 that is positioned over the bed B of the sewing machine in any conventional manner. Conveniently, the conventional hinge pin for the bed B may be used for this purpose. The plate 102 provides means for adjusting the size of the space directly below the roller 30. That is, the operator selects any one of a plurality of different thickness plates 102 such that when a piece of fabric is positioned thereon, the roller 30 will be in direct driving contact therewith and will be capable of pulling the fabric. Actually, the thickness of the plate 102 effects the throw of the roller 30 by changing the relative position of the roller 30 with respect to the cam tracks 28a and 28b. A thicker plate 102 reduces the throw and a thinner plate increases the throw.

In order to provide for adjustment and alignment of the roller 30 a pair of adjusting screws I04 and nuts 106, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, are included. A recess is provided in the housing portion 40 coaxial with eachof the screws I04 which in turn bears against the head casting H of the sewing machine. Thus, the screws can be axially advanced or retracted from the left as shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, and when their proper position is located they can be locked in place by means of the nuts 106.

MODE OF OPERATION When the needle bar NB moves downwardly, it will carry with it the drive bar 14 and the cam plate 26 that is integral therewith. This downward motion will cause the two cam followers 86 and 88 and the arms 70 and 72 on which they are mounted to be pivoted counterclockwise and clockwise, respectively, about the axle 34. When the arm 70 pivots counterclockwise, the cam plate 52, which is secured thereto by means of the screws 74 passing through the slots 80, is also rotated counterclockwise and thereby jam the balls 64 between the flattened surfaces 56 and the interior surface of the bore 50. With the balls wedged in the comers, the roller 30 will be coupled to and will follow the angular motion of the cam plate 52. That is, the roller 30 will move in a counterclockwise direction in order to feed the upper layer of material. It should be noted that in FIG. I the direction of movement of the roller 30 is clockwise. However, since the mode of operation can best be understood by reference to FIGS. 7 and 8, the angular direction of the roller 30 will be considered as counterclockwise since it is seen opposite the position of FIG. 1. At the same time, the clutch drive arm 72 and the cam follower 88 will also be displaced by the cam track 28b, but in a clockwise direction on the downward stroke of the needle bar NB. Thus, the balls 66 will occupy the larger space between the flatted portions 58 of the cam plate 54 and the inside diameter 50 of the roller 30. Because of this action there will be no coupling between the cam plate 54 and the roller 30.

On the upward stroke of the needle bar NB, the drive bar 14 and the cam plate 26 are also raised, thus bringing the arms 70, 72 and cam followers 86, 88 close together as shown in FIG. 8. At this time the clutch drive arm 72 is moved in a counterclockwise direction. By so doing, the action described hereinabove with respect to FIG. 7 is reversed. That is, the balls 66 become wedged between the flatted portions 58 of the cam plate 54 and the bore 50 of the roller 30 to thereby couple the cam plate 54 and the roller 30. Thus, because the clutch drive arm 72 is moving counterclockwise on the upstroke of the needle bar NB, the roller 30 will continue to move in a clockwise direction as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 and will again feed the material. At the same time the clutch plate 52 is deactivated since the balls 64 occupy the larger space between the flatted portion 56 of the cam plate 52 and the interior bore 50 of the roller 30.

It should be noted that the action described above takes place only during the time that the cam followers 86, 88 occupy the straight portion of the cam tracks 28a and 28b. The upper or arcuate portion of the two cam tracks 28a and 28b are used as overtravel means when the lifter mechanism described above is operated.

The mechanism described above is timed to feed the material through the machine in synchronization with the conventional feeder mechanism of the sewing machine. In other words, the puller device will not advance the material while the needle is passing therethrough. Instead, a portion of each downward stroke of the needle and a portion of each upward stroke of the needle is utilized to angularly displace the roller so as to advance the material in a synchronized, stepwise manner.

There has been disclosed heretofore the best embodiment of the invention presently contemplated. However, it is to be understood that various changes and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. Auxiliary fabric-feeding means for a sewing machine having a reciprocating needle bar, said fabric-feeding means comprising:

a. a pivotally movable driving bar adapted to be removably secured to the needle bar and angularly responsive to both directions of movement thereof;

b. mounting means for supporting said driving bar relative to the sewing machine;

c. friction roller means joumaled on said mounting means;

d. one-way clutch assembly means integral with said roller means; and

e. means coupling said clutch assembly means and said driving bar whereby said roller means moves incrementally in the same angular direction during at least a portion of each movement of the needle bar. 7

2. The auxiliary fabric feeding means according to claim 1 wherein said mounting means comprises a main bracket adapted to be removably secured to the presser bar bushing of the sewing machine, one portion of said driving bar being pivotably mounted on said main bracket.

3. The auxiliary fabric feeding means according to claim 1 wherein said driving bar is comprised of articulated sections and there is included at least one ball joint coupling adjacent one of said sections.

4. The auxiliary fabric feeding means according to claim 1 wherein said clutch assembly means comprises first and second one-way clutches rotatable about the axis of said roller means, said first and second clutches being independent of each other, one of said clutches being arranged to engage said roller means during the stroke of the needle bar in one direction, the other of said clutches being arranged to engage said roller means during the oppositely directed stroke of the needle bar. a

5. The auxiliary fabric feeding means according to claim 4 wherein said coupling means comprise a cam plate integral with said driving bar and a pair of clutch-actuating arms one of which is secured to said first clutch, the other of said clutchactuating arms being secured to said second clutch, each of said clutch-actuating arms having means for following the contours of said cam plate whereby on a stroke of the needle bar in one direction of the stroke of the needle bar one of said clutch-actuating arms will cause engagement between one of said clutch plates and the roller means and on a stroke of the needle bar in the opposite direction the other clutch-actuating arm will cause engagement of the other clutch plate with the roller means, said clutch plates being arranged to cause rotation of said roller means in only a single, angular direction.

6. The auxiliary fabric feeding means according to claim 5 wherein said roller means includes a central bore and an axle therein, said first and second clutch plates being mounted on said axle, one of said clutch plates having slot means therein said other clutch plate being free of slots, one of said clutchactuating arms being rigidly secured to said nonslotted clutch plate by means of fasteners extending through said slotted clutch plate.

7. The auxiliary fabric feeding means according to claim 6 wherein each said clutch means comprise a disk having a plurality of flats formed on the periphery thereof, there being further including spring means and a ball positioned in the spaces defined by said flats and the bore in said roller means.

8. The auxiliary fabric feeding means according to claim 1 including means for moving said roller means in a vertical direction.

9. The auxiliary fabric feeding means according to claim 8 wherein said moving means comprise over-the-center linkage means.

10. The auxiliary fabric feeding means according to claim 1 further including means for adjusting the entire assembly relative to the head of the sewing machine. 

1. Auxiliary fabric-feeding means for a sewing machine having a reciprocating needle bar, said fabric-feeding means comprising: a. a pivotally movable driving bar adapted to be removably secured to the needle bar and angularly responsive to both directions of movement thereof; b. mounting means for supporting said driving bar relative to the sewing machine; c. friction roller means journaled on said mounting means; d. one-way clutch assembly means integral with said roller means; and e. means coupling said clutch assembly means and said driving bar whereby said roller means moves incrementally in the same angular direction during at least a portion of each movement of the needle bar.
 2. The auxiliary fabric feeding means according to claim 1 wherein said mounting means comprises a main bracket adapted to be removably secured to the presser bar bushing of the sewing machine, one portion of said driving bar being pivotably mounted on said main bracket.
 3. The auxiliary fabric feeding means according to claim 1 wherein said driving bar is comprised of articulated sections and there is included at least one ball joint coupling adjacent one of said sections.
 4. The auxiliary fabric feeding means according to claim 1 wherein said clutch assembly means comprises first and second one-way clutches rotatable about the axis of said roller means, said first and second clutches being independent of each other, one of said clutches being arranged to engage said roller means during the stroke of the needle bar in one direction, the other of said clutches being arranged to engage said roller means during the oppositely directed stroke of the needle bar.
 5. The auxiliary fabric feeding means according to claim 4 wherein said coupling means comprise a cam plate integral with said driving bar and a pair of clutch-actuating arms one of which is secured to said first clutch, the other of said clutch-actuating arms being secured to said second clutch, each of said clutch-actuating arms having means for following the contours of said cam plate whereby on a stroke of the needle bar in one direction of the stroke of the needle bar one of said clutch-actuating arms will cause engagement between one of said clutch plates and the roller means and on a stroke of the needle bar in the opposite direction the other clutch-actuating arm will cause engagement of the other clutch plate with the roller means, said clutch plates being arranged to cause rotation of said roller means in only a single, angular direction.
 6. The auxiliary fabric feeding means according to claim 5 wherein said roller means includes a central bore and an axle therein, said first and second clutch plates being mounted on said axle, one of said clutch plates having slot means therein said other clutch plate being free of slots, one of said clutch-actuating arms being rigidly secured to said nonslOtted clutch plate by means of fasteners extending through said slotted clutch plate.
 7. The auxiliary fabric feeding means according to claim 6 wherein each said clutch means comprise a disk having a plurality of flats formed on the periphery thereof, there being further including spring means and a ball positioned in the spaces defined by said flats and the bore in said roller means.
 8. The auxiliary fabric feeding means according to claim 1 including means for moving said roller means in a vertical direction.
 9. The auxiliary fabric feeding means according to claim 8 wherein said moving means comprise over-the-center linkage means.
 10. The auxiliary fabric feeding means according to claim 1 further including means for adjusting the entire assembly relative to the head of the sewing machine. 